Carrier for chimed cans



Sept. 23, 1952 F.'W. HACKMAN ETAL CARRIER FOR CHIMED CANS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Sept. 16, 1949 ran/ 5 ll]. fiat/imam w ll/2112164772 JPooZe r33. m

Sept. 23,1952

F. w. HACKMAN ET-AL CARRIER FOR CHIMED CANS 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Sept. 16, 1949 In. Us nfo r25? 7 aw m Patented P 3, 1952 1.2"- 1.15;.

"UNITED STATES ATENT owl-cs 1:.

e 2,e 11,521 V CARRIER FOB CHIMED CANS 7 Frank W. Haclnnan',f ll iaywood',- and William J. p

Poole,-Evanston,'1li., assignors to Container "Corporation of America, Chicago, Ill.,= a come-- rationofDelaware; a i

Application se ie iis, 194e, serialNo 116,043,

The present invention relates to improvements incarriers' or holders for cans ofjthe ty'pe thathave recessed or chime type ends,the "carri'r be ing adapted to retain the'ca'ns by theuse of in- Otherobjects' of the invention are generally to improve carriers or "holdersof this type'and to; reduce the cost of manufacture by' reducing the size of the retaining flaps while at the same time making them more efiicient ior theire intended wardly foldable flapsin'a position in whichpore 5 purposes. I I tions of certain of the cans extend out beyond Other objects will appearin'the followin dethe confinesof the carrier. The invention relates scription and will be pointed 'outin' the claim. particularly to a carrier of this 'type'in combina In the drawings: V tion with an improved construction of inwardly Fig. 1 is a} perspective view of a can carrier extending flaps for retention of the cans in place" 10' havinglin com ih tibn i Wiih a pl i y of within the carrier. j retaining'fiapsconstructedin accordance'with the It has been found that. certain cans in pro'ducpresent invention andillustratinsin dottedfl n tion r'uns have end closures that are not uniform a can positione'dwithi'rlfthe carrier; v V in contour. 'That is, the centralportions of the Fig. 2 is a fragmentarflsectional view taken end jcl'osures, when the cans arelfille'd, have some along li e Of Fi k g' in the direction what of 'an outward bulge. This is frequently of the arrows; true with'canned beer. When a bulge is present Fig.7 3 is a fragm ta y e9ti0na1 view, taken in an end caniin a row which is the can that is along line 3'3*of Fig.'2,'10bking in thedirection to be retainedin the carrier by engagement of its i of the arrows; f I inner chime portion by an inwardly extendin re- Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view showinga part taining fiapfsuch a can is frequently not securely' of t e bottom panel f the ca er o t e wi held because .the cre'stof the bulge contacts the the inturned flap carried by thebottom panel and retaining flap at a distance from its Jfree edge i l st at g a fia beg h t Passover the fl p} andicauses the extremity of the flap to contact F g-" 71 Q'V BW m r is "4; 11ustr i s very close to the outer edge portion of the. chime a can which has been moved into the carrierto which will'tend in some'cases to cause the flap h p in at Wh fi h g p to slip' out of positive engagement with the .ehim'e snaps upwa d y i d" th ad anc ch m f and allow the can to slip iromflthecarrierf the can to prevent reverse or outw rdflmv' en' Another disadvantage v found'to exist'with re 'j Ofthecani t 1 gard to certain retaining flaps is that, when three 6 s ew. m ar to Figs.- i'and Bla or more cans are to be placed in, a row'ythe illustrates a can on thewayto being moved to'an' trailing edge of the chime of the middle can dr inner part of-the' carrier, the can beingfillustrated canswill Catch on the outerportion'of th i with its chime as it appears'aiter having passed wardly foldedretaining', flap instead of'moving to v he hinge edge f the ih u h l V the interior part of thecarriert and must be'e'xg-H7 is a fragmen a pl nv w O d'p tri'catedwith care from engagement :With the f rm f carrie r for d with an 'ihturn' d retain; outeror hinge edge of the infolded fiapand with ing flap hic h s Subs n l t e ur f consequent slowing up the operation of packing the inner edge ofthe chime? ,1 g 1 e th'e'jcarrier'. V Fig; 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken 'Anobject of the present invention is to provide Substan a ly al e of F 7}100king a retaining flap construction in combination with 1 in the dire ioh of hefarrflws, and illustratin I a carrier or holder for ca'ns which will cause cans) how. the inturne'd flap own in Fi 8 is Caused to be heldjsecurelyinthecarrier'byan inwardly b bent if h an, c o e 'a'l s extending retaining flap eventhough the can end i therein; d v v closures have'bulging portions;- Another objectis Fig.-9.f is a fraginentary'f sectional view'taken' to provide a retaining flap construction in com,-- substantially along" the lin9'9 offFigjBZ'l Kin-g" bination with the structure-of 'theQcarrier or in the direction of the arrows; a'ndfillustr atir g 1 holder which will allow the chime plortion'of a; how thebulgedcan end closure displacesthe ex'f canto pass easily over the inwardly extending retremity of the flap from retaining""engagement" ta'ining flapiandinto the interio of the carrier with the can chime. without likelihood of the trailing edge of the V The retaining'fiaps of the'carrier oi the present chime catching on the outeri ortlon of the in; inventionare preferably formed'as' integral exg turned retaining flap "at the.place where the retensions" of the top and bottom'walls of thecara i n p y. ted tojthe carrier. 1 rim and are provided with laterally spaced chime engaging portions adapted to contact separated places of the inner portion of the chime of a can, and formed so as to remain out of con tact with that portion of the can chime which is remote from the hinge or base portion of the flap. The retaining flaps also are suitably restricted in width adjacent their hinge portions transversely of the row-in the carrier so that the width of the flap along the line of juncture with the bottom wall of the carrier is substantially less than the diameter of the can chime as measured inside the chime.

Referring to the drawings, in Fig. l, the carrier is shown as comprising a collapsible construction having a foldable bottom indicated generally at 5, side walls 6 and 1 hingedly related to the lateral edges of the bottom, a foldable top wall indicated generally at 8, a central panel 9 extending from the mid-portion of the bottom to the mid-portion of the top and hingedly related to the foldable top and bottom members, and a carrying portion, indicated generally at In, hingedly related to'theifoldable top wall and extending upwardly in alignment with the cenf tral panel 9.

While the carrier herein disclosed may formed in various manners it is preferably formed from a'single blank of sheet material. The foldable bottom section is formedfrom the two panels II and I2 defined respectively from the side walls 6 and I along crease lines [3 and [4. The, central panel .9 ishingedly related at its lower edge to thebottomfsection [2. The bottomsection H has a flap H! which is hinged thereto along its outer edge and is suitably secured to the lower edge portion of panel 9.

The carrying section in comprises panels 26 and 21 hinged to each other along crease line 22. and hinged to the respective top walls l5 and 16 along crease lines 23 and 24.

The carrying section is formed with openings 26, 26 in the panels 20 and similar opening lin the panel 2|. The stock of these "opening's is not'cut completely away but is left in the form of tabs hinged to the top edges of' the openings- This construction permits the 'tabs to be swung together to one sidevor the other to permit a person's fingers to. be extended through the openings. V

In order to reinforce the carrying section the central panel 9 is made of such length as .will

cause it "to' extend to a position between; the

panels and 2i; and panel 9 is preferably formed with openingsadaptedto register with opening's26,26.

As described thus far, the'carrier is substantially like that disclosed in the pending applicatidh of Thomas W; Foster, Serial Number 106,260, filed. July 22, 1949, now jPa'tent'No. 2,523,985, dated September 26, 1950, for Carrier for Chimed Cans.

For the purpose of retaining chimed end cans in engagement with the carrier the bottom'wall sections H and I2 and top wall sections [5 and I6 are preferably formed with integral'retaining flaps 34, 34 and 35, 35 respectively at each end of such wall sections. As these retaining flaps (are. illustrated as'being formed alike, a

description of oneflap with relation to the bot-' 7 tom panel arid its retaining function with respect to the bottom of a can, will suffice.

Referring to Figs. 1, 4, 5, and 6, the flap 34, extending from the end of bottom panel i2, is generally of transversely elongated, rectangular form and has spaced chime-engagingedge portions 36, 36 which terminate at their inwardly dito the bottom panel l2.

rected ends in an edge portion 31, which prefer ably is generally parallel to the crease line 38 between the flap 34 and the bottom panel [2. The edge portions 36, 36 may be substantially straight but, as herein illustrated, are slightly curved to conform approximately with portions of the arc of a circle whosecenter is in line with the middle of the bottom section l2, and approximately on the crease line 38.

Essentially, the edge portion 3? of the flap 34 is so formed as to be substantially free from engagement of that portion of the chime of the can which is located in the innermost position with respect to the carrier.

It will be understood that the pressure of a can against flap 34 in its infolded position will tend to hold it in such infolded position close The resiliency of the paperboard will cause the flap to have an upward bias forcing it against the end panel of the can, whereby the edges 36, 36 will engage against" the inner portion of 'the chime of the can. By constructing the flap 34 as a comparatively 'narrow' flap measured longitudinallyv of the bottom panel l2, somewhat less than one half the width of the bottom panel, it is to be noted that the chime-engaging edge portions 36, 36 are separated so as to engage against relatively wide- 1y separated sectors of the chime of a can. The flap will be bent in a direction transversely of the bottom panel l2 if the center portion of the can in the carrier is bulged 'outwardlyof' the can so as to cause bending of the central portionof the flap, 34. When this is the case thecentral portion of the flap will bedeflected to accommodate. the bulge without causing the displacement of the edges 36, 36 from their engaging position with respect to the inner surface of the chime.

end of the can adjacent the chime, and the fact that the mid portion of the flap is deflected,

edge portions 36, 36 of the flap are inengage- A ment with portions of the chime 46 andthe central portion of the fiap'34 is shown asdew fiected downwardly bythe bulged can end 41.

The fact that the central portion of the flap 34f is bowed downwardly beyond the pla'nedefined by the edge portions 36,136 does not influence the engagement of the edges 36, 36 against the chime of the can.

The lateral edge portions or the flaps34iridicated at 39, 39 are preferably cut so that they will extend from the edge portions 36', 36 back to the edge of the bottompanel 12 along a line located inwardly from the erect a circlegener ally defined by the edges 36, 36. In the present instance these lateral edges 39, 39 are illustrated as cut'so as to extend outwardly at approximately a right angle'to' the crease line 38. g

With the edges 39, 36 formed as illustrated, a-

chimed can can be pushed into the open end of the carrier and the trailing edge of the chime 46 will'ride. smoothlyv over the flap 34. There will be no point at which such 'chiineengages against the hinge side of the inturned flap. in

such manner as to cause the chime .of the can to catch and be held; The reason-for this isli thatthe side edges 39 beingdispose'dinwardlif The natural resiliency "of the paperboard tends to keep the opposite end portions of the vflap in firm engagementwith the" to move inwardly of the carrier beyond the, use

ors-i'ts greatest diameter before any contact made by the chime with the, edges-.39, 39.;Thus,

when portions of the chime som in contact'with the -edgesi39, .the contact will be .at such an angle withirespect to the chime as t .u mach nes toride upwardly over thefedgesBSQ SS andQcatching of-thechime againstthe rear or hingeedge ofth'e'fiap will be avoided.

By comparison of Figs. 2, BIand. on the "one hand and Figs. '7, 8, and 9o'ri the other hand, the advantages of the present invention may best be appreciated. Figs. 7 to 9 inclusive illustrate an earlier form of the device which has been found to have certain disadvantages, particularly when the carriers are intended for use with a type of canned product such as beer in which bulges in the can ends frequently occur. Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate the bottom portion of a can in the carrier in the position in which it would be retained adequately in the carrier, except for the fact that the can end has a bulge, as indicated. In this prior form, the bottom portion of the carrier is designated at 50, this bottom portion being connected with vertical panel portions 5| and 52 corresponding with panels I and 9. The retaining flap is indicated at 53, formed as an integral extension of the bottom 50 and hinged along fold line 54 so as to be foldable inwardly of the carrier to lie adjacent the bottom 50.

In Figs. 7, 8, and 9 the can is indicated at 60 with an end closure BI and a chime portion 62. The end closure 6! is illustrated as somewhat bulged in Figs. 8 and 9. By reference to Fig. 8 it will appear that the central portion of the flap 53 will be deflected downwardly along a line extending at right angles to the fold line 54. Due to this deflection the central extremity of the flap 53, indicated at 5301. in Fig. 9, will be brought to a position in which it is not in engagement with the chime 62. From the end portions of the hinge of the flap 53 to points near the extremity 53a the engagement between the flap and the chime becomes progressively less, there being no engagement between the chime and a portion of the flap at its extremity. Due to this relationship certain movements of the can relative to the carrier, as when a filled carrier is jarred due to striking some stationary object while being carried by the hand, tend to cause the flap 53 to become entirely displaced from holding engagement with the can chime, thus permitting displacement of the bottom of the can with consequent slipping from the carrier.

By shortening the retaining flap and reducing the area of engagement with the chime, as indicated at 34 in Fig. l, deflection of the flap, due to a bulged can end, will not cause displacement of any portion of the chime engaging edges 36, 36 and such edges will remain in firm engaging relation with the chime of the can.

When it is desired to use the carrier it will be expanded from a collapsed flat form to the form illustrated in Fig. l. The retaining flaps on the top and bottom walls will be folded inwardly. The carrier is then ready to receive cans. In practice, if three cans are to be inserted in each row, one can will be inserted in each of the compartments of the carrier at one end and two cans will be inserted into each compartment at the other end. Due to the lateral edges of the flaps 34, 34 being offset inwardly from the edges aerate of :theitopand bottom panels the chime ofthe 1' advancing-caninf llthe group of 'two'cansto be-- inserted through onesenduof each compartment will not tendto catch upon the hingeedge ofttheinturned're'taining; flap but will ride smoothly past such-"hinge edge; f When the group of two cans has been moved inwardly of the carrier to its final position the chimes of the trailing can will be engaged bytheLtopkand bottom retaining flaps, each snapping into engaging relation to the chime. Even thoughthe central por tion of each can end has a bulge, thelate ral end portions of the flaps will nevertheless snap into engaging relation to the chimes because the stiffness of the paperboard will cause the lateral edges of the flaps to contact firmly the can end even though the mid portion of the flap is bowed or deflected.

While the four can retaining elements have been illustrated and described as being identical, and are preferably so for economy and convenience of manufacture and loading, it is within the scope of the invention to have-certain of the retaining elements, particularly those at the top of the carrier, constructed in a different manner.

While the present description sets forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, certain changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claim rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

We claim:

A paperboard carrier for a row of chimed cans of predetermined height and diameter especially adapted for use with such cans having bulging end closures, said carrier comprising elongated top and bottom panels and vertical side panels connected to the longitudinal edges of the top and bottom panels thereby forming a compart ment having an interior height and width substantially the same as the exterior height and diameter of the cans, respectively, and a can retaining flap hinged to the bottom panel adjacent an end thereof foldable along a transverse hinge line inwardly against the bottom panel,

said flap having laterally spaced chime-engaging edge portions, said flap having a dimension measured along said transverse hinge line substantially less than the width of the bottom panel and less than the diameter of the inner surface of the can chime, and being disposed symmetrically with respect to the width of the bottom panel to permit traverse of a can thereover inwardly of the compartment with the trailing edge portion of the chime engagingthe end edges of the flap at such angles that the can during its inward movement rides smoothly overv I the flap, and said flap having a dimension measured perpendicular to said transverse hinge line somewhat less than one-half the width of said bottom panel, the laterally spaced edge portions of the flap being adapted to conform to the inner chime surface of a can for engaging spaced sections of the inwardly disposed portion thereof upon disposition of a can having a bulging end closure over the flap withthe spaced edges of the flap enclosed by the chime to retain the can against outward movement, the can retaining flap being cut away on both sides from the hinge line to the lateral chime-engaging portions sufliciently to avoid contact with the can chime, and also being cut away beyond the chime engaging 7. portions to avoid contaqt with the canv chimm- V UNITED STATES PATENT3 whereby said laterallmspaced. chime-engaging Number Name 7 D portions provide thesole points or contact with 1,854955 Reaume et a1; 19,1932 I 1,888,855 Fuller Nov-.22,1932' FRANK HACKMAN; 2,222,211 'Arneson Nov. 19, 1940 WIILIAM P 2,302,676 7 Crane Now-24,1942 2,337,197 Holy Dec. 21,1943 2,362,990 Crane; Nov,21', 1944 ENC CITED 2,402,219 Wesse lman June 18, 1946 The following references are of record in the 10 2,425,140 Allen Aug. 5,1947' 2,523,985 Foster Sept. 26,1950

file ofthis patent: I

2,523,986 Foster Sept. 26, 1950 

